Tom Foolery
by The Loser Lord
Summary: Even after all these years, you're all still a hot mess. - Post canon, slight SasuSaku


**Notes: **I'm pretty super excited for the next couple of chapters following this flashback we're expecting on Wednesday.

This oneshot/drabble/I-don't-know doesn't particularly have a central character. I kind of just wrote this impulsively while I was _not _doing my homework; there's not really a definite central character although I do focus a lot of the perspective on Sakura.

Also, I started a new blog with some of my unfinished stuff because, let's face it, I really suck at finishing things and I'm almost sorry when I post them and I don't finish. If you feel like checking it out, link's on my profile and stuff.

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**Tom Foolery**

"Sasuke, why aren't you eating?"

"To you, eating is the same as _inhaling_."

"Whatever, Sasuke."

Naruto and Sasuke sat next to each other inside Ichiraku Ramen, both shinobi indulging in the salty broth and noodles. Naruto finished up his second bowl and quickly ordered another miso, earning an incredulous stare from his best friend. The Jinchuuriki shrugged, "What? I gotta feed Kurama too."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but chose not to reply.

The third day of reconstruction following the conclusion of the Fourth Great Shinobi War fell on a warm summer day. Bustle had returned to the village's dirt roads, and the two teenagers were happy to hear the cacophony of liveliness once more. The unmistakable clacking of zori hitting the ground, the laughter of little children playing in the streets, the chatter that marred the air, and the rumble of the ramen stand's counter as a third person joined Naruto and Sasuke.

"Tsunade-sama _shredded_ Kakashi-sensei's copy of _Icha Icha Tactics_ and I do not want to be in the office when he bursts into tears," Sakura greeted with a huff. The kunoichi plopped down next to Sasuke and politely ordered a bowl of pork ramen from Ayane before returning to her team mates, a smug smirk still present on her porcelain features.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted through a mouth full of noodles. The girl wrinkled her nose distastefully, "Naruto, you're gonna choke on your food if you keep talking with a full mouth."

"Sakura-chan, I got it," Naruto reassured her, his mouth still filled with ramen, "I'm a pro at thi–"

He stopped abruptly, and his eyes widened; the boy erupted into a fit of coughs. Sakura sighed and slid a glass of water across the counter. Naruto choked down half of its contents before pulling the glass away with a relieved gasp, foolishly grinning at his team mates.

"See, I got it!" he said.

"I see," Sakura deadpanned, breaking her chopsticks apart and digging into her bowl.

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered. Sakura's lips twitched upwards at Sasuke's quiet insult.

"That's no way to talk to a village hero!" Naruto snapped childlishly. He flushed darkly when he received a snort of skepticism from Sasuke and a mocking laugh from Sakura.

"You guys stink," he cried and hopped off the stool. "Anyway, I gotta go pick Hinata up from the Hyuuga compound. We're having a tag team sparring match against Kiba and Shino, so maybe I'll see you there?"

"Hn."

"It depends if Tsunade-sama's volunteered me for the hospital again," Sakura said, thoughtfully rubbing her chin, "but I'll come by when I'm free."

"Awesome, I'll see you guys later," Naruto waved, turning to leave before throwing to Sasuke a forceful, "and I do mean _both _of you."

"Dobe, why would I personally set time apart to go watch you stumble around like a moron when you do it every day regardless of the circumstances?" Sasuke replied. Naruto smirked wickedly before cryptically answering, "Because Sakura-chan's going."

The Jinchuuriki ducked out of the ramen stand, his cruel laughs echoing in Sakura's ears. She hesitantly turned towards Sasuke.

"What'd he mean by that, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke had blanched, his jaw clenched tightly, and his dark eyes widened with surprise. The chopsticks cinched in Sasuke's strong grasp had been snapped in half, and Sakura believed she could see a very light pink tint swept across his cheeks. Sasuke spluttered angrily and left the ramen stand, his bowl of noodles still piping hot.

Sakura sat, slack-jawed, as Sasuke trudged out of Ichiraku, incoherently grumbling to himself the entire time. She knew the lone surviving Uchiha was odd, but she didn't realize the extent of his peculiarity. Nonetheless, she still loved and accepted him. Even if he did just allow himself to become angry at _Naruto's_ snide commentary…

...usually it was Naruto serving as the butt of Sasuke's rare, but well-timed wise cracks.

'What is going on today?' Sakura thought, 'Well, no matter, he's probably going to get Naruto back anyway.'

Tsunade's apprentice shook her head and returned to her lunch.

"What's with him?" Ayane casually asked. Sakura's viridian eyes flicked over to Ayane's dark ones and she shrugged.

"Today? Who knows?"

Sakura returned to the Hokage's Tower 20 minutes later, greeted by a depressed Kakashi sitting in the corner of Tsunade's office. In his hands lay what appeared to be a book, torn into bits and pieces.

"Kakashi-sensei? Why are you still here? Didn't Tsunade-sama dispatch you to help Sai and Yamato-taichou rebuild some houses…on…the…Hyuuga…district?" Kakashi wasn't listening. "Are you even listening?"

Sakura grimaced when Kakashi's dark gaze snapped over to her form.

"Sakura!" he lamented, "Why didn't you stop her?"

Sakura scoffed, placing a hand on her cocked hip, "She was running on half of Konoha's supply of sake, do you think I could if I wanted to?"

Kakashi pondered over this, before sourly stating, "If you _really_ tried –"

"Hah!" the pink-haired kunoichi paced the room, swiping up the remnants of Kakashi's beloved novel, "If I really tried. That's nice. Real nice, sensei. You already know what happens to Lee-san when he drinks, what do you think will happen to Shishou when she's had enough?"

Possibilities filled Kakashi's mind immediately, all of them resulting in either a premature, untimely death or a permanent residency in the hospital; he shivered.

"Mmhmm, now you see," his student severely said before returning to Kakashi's novel. "And besides, a bit of tape should do the trick."

"But I won't want to tape it."

"Then buy a new one."

"I don't want a new one –"

"_Kakashi! Are you still here?_" Tsunade's boisterous voice boomed from down the hall. Kakashi paled and quickly took to the window. His eye narrowed dangerously at his smug student.

"Fine. _You_ have to get me a new one," he said to Sakura.

"Me? It wasn't even my fault."

"You didn't stop her. Punishment for perpetuating the cycle of violence–"

"_KAKASHI!"_

"Later," he was gone in a puff of smoke. The teenage girl rolled her eyes and exited the Hokage's office; her mentor was sprawled out on the wooden floors in the middle of the hall. Tonton snorted appreciatively when she spotted Sakura, running over to the girl quickly. Sakura sighed and picked the pig up off the ground.

"You alright there, Shishou?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade replied with a groan, "No. Headache. Shit-faced. You. Hospital shift. Go. Now."

Stifling a snicker that immediately rose to her lips, Sakura nodded and skipped down the hall, making sure to skip over the drunken Hokage. She headed to the hospital without any further commentary.

By the time Sakura's on-call shift had ended, the sun was still up and the air was still warm. She checked her watch, remembering Naruto's sparring match with Hinata against Kiba and Shino.

'I guess I can make it,' she thought to herself. 'I wonder if Sasuke-kun's going…'

The scowling shinobi who plagued her thoughts was found leaning against the tree closest to the hospital. Sakura blinked, pleasantly surprised.

"Sasuke-kun?" she called.

He glanced upwards in her direction and there, _right there_, Sakura could just barely make out that same hint of pink on his cheeks.

"Come on," Sasuke said, quickly turning away from Sakura before she could deduce anything else, "the dobe's waiting for us."

A wide smile appeared on the pinkette's face, just as bright and silly as Sasuke remembered. She jogged up to the handsome young man, hooking her arm through his, "Yeah! Let's go!"

Sasuke didn't turn to his (what exactly _was _she anyway?)– well, the point was that he did not face Sakura; a crude grunt escaped his lips and off they went together to witness Naruto receive a whooping from Kiba and Shino.

Sasuke almost joined the two when Naruto took a look at Sakura clinging onto his arm, the feverish blaze on his face, and burst into a fit of laughter. Had it not been for the fact that beating Naruto to a bloody pulp required letting go of Sakura, he would have done it too.

It's not like Sakura would realize why Naruto received a well-deserved katon jutsu to the face. It was just like old times, only he didn't shove Sakura away, Sakura wasn't _as_ annoying as before (she still was, but he didn't mind as much and on some days, he actually kind of liked it, not that Sasuke would ever admit that), and Naruto was as big an idiot as any other day, maybe bigger.

Everyone was still a mess, but it was home to Sasuke, and that's all that really mattered.


End file.
